MotorMavens

NEWSWORTHY> F1 Season Start in Bahrain

Scottie Scheetz — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:17:47 +0000

Alright everybody, I know we don’t normally feature Formula 1 and other forms of open wheel racing on this website, but I just wanted to share this because I personally am pretty excited for the start of the 2010 F1 season! This Sunday, March 14th is the kick off race for Formula 1 on the [...]

NEWSWORTHY> Vegas Pro Am Saturday!!!

Jose Gonzalez — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:35:19 +0000

Just so you don’t forget! This weekend, you need to head to Las Vegas for the Vegas Pro Am, which is being organized and put on by our friends at VegasDrift! This event is a perfect opportunity to get up close and personal with all the future Formula D drivers before they hit the big [...]

WEBMINING> AMG Benz at 1972 Nurburgring

Antonio Alvendia — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:08:40 +0000

Okay. So apparently, this week, I’ve been on a bit of a European/DTM kick. We see so many Japanese cars all the time on Motor Mavens, I thought it would be kinda cool to mix it up a bit and shine a bit of light on some of the awesome race cars that have been [...]

WEBMINING> DTM AMG Amazing

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:18:46 +0000

Since our new Eurofiend contributor (Tamer Omran) got me thinking about the DTM racing series in Germany, I thought I’d post up this cool photo I found on Tumblr. I believe it was originally posted by Gearheads and Monkeywrenches. This here is a gorgeous white DTM Mercedes AMG, driven by a female driver by the [...]

WEBMINING> DTM Battle for Deutschland

Tamer Omran — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:55:28 +0000

Wow, this has got to be one of the best videos i have ever seen on YouTube. I just happened to stumble upon this 2009 DTM recap video, as I’ve been really hooked on DTM cars lately. For those of you not really familiar with DTM, heres some history behind it. The DTM Series (or Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, which translated, means German Touring Car Masters) started [...]

COVERAGE> UK Grassroots Drifting at Santa Pod!

Daniel Bridle — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:46:32 +0000

Santa Pod Raceway in Northamptonshire, England is home to one of the most famous drag strips in the world, where records have been broken and legends have been made. Now it is also home to one of the most popular practice days for drifting in the UK. Drift What Ya Brung (or DWYB for short) [...]

VIDEO> Simply Clean & Stance in Orlando

Scottie Scheetz — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:30:18 +0000

Simply Clean from Bluemotion on Vimeo.

Back in January I covered the Simply Clean + Stance in Orlando event, which was completely awesome. I am saddened to here the next event may not be till November, sad face!! These guys need to do a rotating event every 4-5 months or so to help promote proper car building. B-swaps in CRX's with sunk wheels are 8 years ago people, change with the times, flush wheels and no drop don't count either! Anyway, the video is awesome and so is the sound track. Quan Vu at Bluemotion did an awesome job, and from the looks of it involved a Canon 5dii . Rock on man, for his first car meet video I am simply stunned. The song “more more more” is from the upcoming LP by Soy is Real, so if feel it is dope like I do, just watch the video over and over again. Lastly, BIG THANKS to Nickoli for giving us the first shout out at the end of the video. You know I will be at the next one!! If you want to view pictures of the cars that did not make it on the video and my coverage check out Nickoli's link. :: Scottie Scheetz

COVERAGE> Wekfest Weekend in J-Town SF, Pt.2

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:53:20 +0000

For the second installment of the MotorMavens coverage from my trip to the San Francisco Bay Area last weekend, we’ll take a look inside the Wekfest itself. For those who really couldn’t wait, I’m sure you could have just Googled “Wekfest” and found a bunch of Flickr pages and other galleries with random photos from [...]

COVERAGE> Wekfest Weekend in J-Town SF, Pt.1

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:14:39 +0000

This past weekend, I went up to San Francisco to hang out with some of my old school friends from the Bay Area… but unfortunately a lot of them were out of town! Hawaii, Japan, Philippines… damn! Sometimes I have such bad timing! It was a good thing Calvin Wan was in town – he [...]

WEBMINING> Offset Offensive from Toronto

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:00:38 +0000

Man. I’m not quite sure what to say. I was forwarded this link from a friend of mine, who basically said, “dude, you gotta read this. This article bashes slammed cars, negative offset, and the usage of roof racks and rusted body parts. It even bashes websites that promote that style (specifically naming HellaFlush), Miata.net [...]

COVERAGE> HellaFlush Scrapes Buttonwillow, Pt.2

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:31:32 +0000

I know you’ve been waiting for it, so here’s the second installment in our HellaFlush 3.5 event coverage from Buttonwillow Raceway. I’m not sure that there have ever been this many cars with aggressive fitment and stance at the Lerdo Highway exit off the California Interstate 5 highway. Honestly, I gotta give props to all the [...]

VIDEO> Tuerk’s Off Season

Andy Sapp — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:53:10 +0000

off seasons from Drift Alliance on Vimeo. This awesome video gives a glimpse at what life is like for Formula Drift driver, Ryan Tuerck’s life may be like in the off-season. I really dig the way this was shot, and the fact that it really looks like it was done in one take. Hats [...]

COVERAGE> HellaFlush Scrapes Buttonwillow Pt.1

Antonio Alvendia — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:36:59 +0000

This weekend, many of the best stanced cars in California made their way to the HellaFlush 3.5 meet at Buttonwillow Raceway, which was located in the middle of BFE, along the Interstate 5 highway. The stretched tire movement has finally been getting a lot of attention in the past couple years, which is awesome because [...]

RANDOM DOPE> Drift Sumi-e iPhone Game

Calvin Wan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:42:32 +0000

During this off-season I teamed up with Objectify, a start-up in the San Francisco Bay Area on an iPhone / iPod Touch App called Drift Sumi-e (su-me-eh). We wanted to create an all-new game concept that incorporates authentic drifting dynamics with the beautiful art form of Sumi-e (that’s “su-me-eh”) brush painting. The game carries a calming [...]

WEBMINING> Sleek, Slammed, Silver 5 Series

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:49:16 +0000

While I was cruising the Bimmerforums website last night, I came across this particular E39 BMW 5 Series sedan that really impressed me. This car was built by a Bay Area Bimmer owner that goes by the screen name of PavelK313. This E39 just looks right. Pavel didn’t even need to modify the bumpers, mirrors [...]

NEWSWORTHY> Grunewald Camaro SS Test at Laguna Seca

Avon Bellamy — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:15:31 +0000

Hankook Camaro Testing from lab17 on Vimeo. If you remember, back in September of 2009, MotorMavens was the first to break news of Conrad Grunewald’s brand new, Hankook Tire sponsored, Chevrolet Camaro SS entering the Formula D Championship. At the time, it was still only a concept and was still being built by Luke Lonberger at [...]

NEWSWORTHY> Roegge and Herron 2010 DVD

Andy Sapp — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:50:24 +0000

Will Roegge and Joshua Herron are combining their killer creative talents to produce a DVD about American grassroots drifting, called Keep Drifting Fun! These two filmmakers have upped the ante on automotive video content ever since their visually stunning, yet technically precise work hit the web. To hear that they are joining forces [...]

COVERAGE> Supras Swarm SP Engineering

Antonio Alvendia — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:45:22 +0000

This past weekend, something like 70+ Toyota Supras came out to the Supra Appreciation Event at SP Engineering in Industry, California. I was pleasantly surprised; I couldn’t believe how many Supra owners braved the rain and the bad drivers on the freeway with their high horsepower monsters. All the parking lots surrounding SP Engineering were packed [...]

NAME DROPPING> Hey Man! Hachirokus at Yokota!

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:11:00 +0000

HAHAHAHA AWESOME! I love how people have been uploading all their old VHS videos to YouTube. I wonder how many people have seen this old school video! It’s not the craziest drifting action video or anything, but that’s not the point anyway. I love it because it shows the real style and culture of hashiriya life [...]

NEWSWORTHY> Southeast Drift Pro Am Series

Andy Sapp — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:09:43 +0000

It looks like the new year has brought some exciting news for the east coast drift community! Southeast Drift is teaming up with Formula Drift to bring an east coast qualifier series to Atlanta for a shot at an FD license! Atlanta, Ga. – February 2, 2010 Southeast Drift will be bringing an all new pro-am [...]

NEWSWORTHY> Farewell, Atsushi Kuroi

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:04:51 +0000

I awoke this morning to the buzz of my iPhone, and struggled to wipe my sleep-deprived eyes so that I could read what was on the screen. Apparently, the text messages were from my friends Stephen and Mayumi, who regrettably informed me of bad news that was delivered via email from D1 driver Kazuya Bai [...]

COLLECTION> Cipher Garage Keiichi Collection

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:00:42 +0000

You requested it so we rewind… Following up on our posts on the Drift King’s birthday, some of our readers mentioned that they would be interested in seeing a sneak peek at some of the Keiichi Tsuchiya-related fanboy memorabilia that has been archived as part of the Cipher Garage Collection. As some of our readers may [...]

POINT&SHOOT> Toyota MarkII on SSR MarkIII

Antonio Alvendia — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:36:58 +0000

[I received an email yesterday from an Australian guy named Ian Hancock. Ian is crazy about Japanese nostalgic cars, and is currently on vacation in Japan (or as he says it, he's "on holiday") to check out a bunch of his favorite cars. He sent in a photo of this MX32 Toyota MarkII (Toyota Cressida) [...]

WEBMINING> Super Fresh with BBS Mesh

Yoshi Shindo — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:33:21 +0000

Brandon Nero’s ‘04 Jetta GLI from wagenwerks on Vimeo. When I’m bored at work, I constantly listen to MP3s and surf the web. The other day, I decided to look at Volkswagen related videos because I was interested in finding more cars that looked similar to my friend Zach’s Well Dunn Passat. I stumbled across this older [...]

WEBMINING> Keiichi Tsuchiya at Ebisu Circuit East

Antonio Alvendia — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:39:20 +0000

Okay… this is a super old video, but since I just posted my story about how I felt the first time I ever saw the legendary Best Motoring Volume 41, I figured I should post the video up on the site. To me, this video is totally the shit… it’s a classic that I must [...]

ARCHAEOLOGY> Keiichi Tsuchiya Tanjoubi

Antonio Alvendia — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:23:55 +0000

I was talking to a new AE86 friend earlier on Facebook, and he told me that today was Keiichi Tsuchiya’s birthday. Tanjoubi omedetou, Dorikin! Those that follow the drifting scene in Japan obviously know that Keiichi is highly revered in Japan’s automotive media industry; nicknamed Dorikin, or “Drift King,” Keiichi basically became the media darling [...]

WEBMINING> Bosozoku Love Shakotan Boogie

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:00:51 +0000

For those who are fascinated with bosozoku style and other aspects of Japanese underground car culture, I thought I’d post up this video clip. I actually watched part of this movie at my friend’s house in Japan a few years back, but it was only recently (on the Bosozoku Style website) that I discovered that [...]

WEBMINING> New Shoes on the Shakotan S12!

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:42:37 +0000

Guess who got some new kicks? This is Henry Nguyen’s shakotan S12 200SX sure is breaking hearts with its shiny new shoes. Forget those played out Bapes, kid… it’s all about the classic Japanese styling of Speed Star Wheels. More specifically, 15×9J (-17) SSR Mk3 up front, and 15×9J (-27) SSR/Longchamps XR4 wheels out back. With [...]

RANDOM DOPE> Get MotorMavens on your iPhone!

Motor Mavens — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:07:55 +0000

MOTORMAVENS On Your iPhone! Hey MotorMavens readers! If you own an iPhone (or iPod Touch), make sure to get MotorMavens on your iPhone! Most of the people in the Motor Mavens Crew use iPhones, and we always check the site from our phones, just to see what’s going on and who’s commenting… and it just dawned [...]

NEWSWORTHY> The Mighty FC Returns to FD

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:08:59 +0000

Yes, the rumors are true. The green FC3S RX7 that we all know and love is returning to Formula D competition! A lot of our Facebook friends have been talking about this for a couple days already… but I just figured I should probably post this on the website too, since there are a lot of [...]

WEBMINING> Oh G’s! Toyota FT86 in Detail!

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:23:06 +0000

I really gotta give major props to Taro and the GT Channel crew! This is the very first video I’ve ever seen that shows the details of the G’s Toyota FT86 G Sports Concept that debuted at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. I was pretty sad that I wasn’t able to make it at first, [...]

CARSPOTTING> Lowdown Heartbreaker S12 200SX

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:00:08 +0000

While I was walking around the sea of nostalgic Japanese goodness at the Japanese Classic Car Show last year, a particular S12 Nissan 200SX caught my eye. To be completely honest here, I’ve never been the biggest fan of S12s. Most people pretty much disregard the S12 as far as “cool Nissans” go… to most [...]

WEBMINING> Club EPS Works B310 Sunny

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:00:49 +0000

I was randomly browsing the internet over the past few days, and noticed this photo on the BeeOneOneOh blog in New Zealand, which I only recently found…. very cool site! Seeing these two vintage Nissans line up together on a track is super cool. Old school Nissan power… two generations of Nissan Sunny together at [...]

RANDOM DOPE> S30 Fairlady 240Z by Jan Trondsen

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:58:45 +0000

HOLY FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. I’m currently trying to recompose myself; you wouldn’t believe how hard my jaw hit the floor when I first saw these renderings. I must have been shaking my head, muttering expletives for a good 20 minutes. AMAZING. Screw Avatar, because THIS is what 3D is all about. This is a 3D sculpted rendering of [...]

COVERAGE> Simply Clean + Stance in Orlando

Scottie Scheetz — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:37:01 +0000

I made the short trek last weekend to the Winter Park section of Orlando. It was cold out by Florida standards, but was at least warmer than it had been the past two weeks. Last Sunday’s event was the first of it’s type (for this area) and the title stated it clearly. Simply [...]

VIDEO> Joshua Herron’s FD Year In Review

Andy Sapp — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:39:13 +0000

Formula Drift 2009 from Joshua Herron on Vimeo. While 2009 may have come and gone, Joshua Herron dug through hours upon hours of footage to give us one last glimpse at what the ‘09 Formula Drift season held in store for us. This video is amazing on so many different levels. The cinematography is [...]

WEBMINING> Papercraft Super GT Epson NSX

Daniel Bridle — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:07:59 +0000

Today I’ve been taking a keen interest in this years Tokyo Auto Salon, and while I was searching around for information and interesting photos I stumbled upon this little gem. Epson Nakajima Racing decided to bring not one of their real Super GT cars to TAS this year but one made entirely out of cardboard [...]

CARSPOTTING> Walker, Texas Drifter

Lucas Perez — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:00:37 +0000

The drifter archetype has changed. Today in America, drifting has become the life, in part or whole, to many different people from all walks of life. When I met Russell Walker for the first time and learned he piloted this ready to rock machine, I wasn’t too surprised. However, meeting him outside of a drifting [...]

WEBMINING> S13 Running Touge at Night!

Antonio Alvendia — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:23:34 +0000

For everyone who’s ever wondered why mountain racing in Japan has evolved from an illegal, underground activity into something that accidentally slipped into the “mainstream” via comic books, anime, movies, and more… you need to watch this video, which was sent to me by my friend Chihiro Yoshimura from PEAK, an all AE and [...]

CENTER STAGE> AE86 Inspiration: Running Free

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:23:33 +0000

This past week, all the key members of the Motor Mavens Crew have been extremely busy, working on developing some cool new website features that our readers will enjoy. I recently had the opportunity to hang out with some of my AE86 friends from out of town also. MotorMavens contributor and AE86er Pedro Velado came [...]

WEBMINING> Meet The Drivers of JDM Allstars

Daniel Bridle — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:16:36 +0000

Better late than never, Dan Joyce just released this light hearted behind the scenes look at last year’s awesome Round 3 of the JDM Allstars drift championship at Wembley. There’s not much actual driving but it’s great to see the drivers relaxed and having a laugh, which is what drifting should be about. Having FUN! For [...]

WEBMINING> Hawaii Loves Old School Toyotas

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:42:30 +0000

Things have been extremely busy for the Motor Mavens Crew over the past two weeks. We’ve been turning our attention to some general “housecleaning” operations and important meetings to plan for future expansion of the site. Unfortunately, these things were extremely time sensitive and had to take priority over website updates for the past week. [...]

NEWSWORTHY> Ken Block to Switch Ovals

Andy Sapp — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:50:46 +0000

WEBMINING> Silhouette of a Warehouse Drifter

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:59:31 +0000

It’s no secret that the members of the Motor Mavens Crew are fans of Ameen Rizvi from 786 Motoring and his 2JZ-powered Toyota Cressida from Houston. Well, Ameen isn’t the only drifter from the state of Texas who’s doing some crazy stuff! Ameen recently introduced us to Henry Swasey, a friend of his who loves [...]

WEBMINING> Wagenwerks and DubKorps AWOL Teaser

Scottie Scheetz — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:46:36 +0000

Ok, first off I realized something in the new year. Just because I have seen a video does not mean everyone else has. So, my New Years resolution will be to pass on video links to every bad ass video I have seen. So, I bring you a Wagenwerks and DubKorps video from 3 months back. This was the first time I had heard of DubKorps, so you Euro guys hold your horses!! I am incredibly familiar with the Wagenwerks videos and the guys who make them. Hey! They are from my home state of Virginia! After watching this video I suggest you check out their website wagenwerks.net (their DVD is beast by the way) then hop on their vimeo channel and watch everything you have not seen. These guys produce legit videos. Their film and editing style are top notch in my opinion. If anyone actually could muster up the ability to claim their videos suck and back it up with a proper argument, send them my way! I have a knuckle sandwich my mom made me a few years ago that has been waiting to be gobbled up. HAHA!!! And one more thing. You the reader will start to learn something about me. I do not stick to one car scene, I love them all (in a manly kind of way). While I do have passions residing in rotaries, I follow the Euro, Honda, Toyota, etc scenes just as much. I even ride a fixed gear bike, (that would be a fixie for those of you want to call it that!) Bet you would never have guessed that! (In case you are wondering: First song: Hollywood Undead_ City , Second song: Innerpartysystem_ Don't Stop ) Both of which are amazing bands. :: Scottie Scheetz

WEBMINING> A Filthy Benz

Andy Sapp — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:44:15 +0000

There is something about this photo that appeals to me. Surely the creators of the Mercedes Benz SLC 500 never pondered it’s potential as a rally machine, but here she is – caked in grime, looking right at home sliding through the mud! I like the juxtaposition of a luxury symbol racing through [...]

VIDEO> Pastrana’s WRX STi New Year’s Eve Jump

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:56:33 +0000

Wow! Travis Pastrana’s record breaking car jump 250 feet over the water in Long Beach Harbor for Red Bull’s No Limit New Year’s Eve! I’m posting this for those of you who live in other parts of the world, and those who don’t have ESPN! This was LIVE tonight at 9:00pm PST/12 midnight EST. Wow, [...]

VIDEO> Honda Civic EF Wagon Attack 2

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:12:14 +0000

This morning, I received a phone call from DSPORT Magazine’s Tobin Honda… “Yo. Did you get my email?” “What email?” “Dude. I sent you a video via email a couple minutes ago. I think you’ll dig it. You’ll love the production value. Shit is on point.” I gotta admit. I was super busy handling other things [...]

VIDEO> 5Axis DJ Hero 2: Scion xB

Travis Hodges — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:19:28 +0000

We showed a snapshot of the new 5Axis Scion xB at the SEMA show back in November… here’s a closer look at some of the details of the car, as shot real “quick style” with Antonio’s Canon S90 point&shoot pocket camera. What we really like about this Scion xB is the fact that it’s the first [...]

CENTER STAGE> Now That’s Ameen MX83 Cressida

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:00:59 +0000

While many of the best grassroots drifters in the United States (oh, and don’t forget Canada, eh!) were out in Southern Cali for the Formula D Pro Am at Irwindale, I had the chance to catch up with Ameen Rizvi from 786 Motoring in Houston, Texas, the driver of everyone’s favorite metallic brown MX83 Toyota [...]

CARSPOTTING>Porsche 718/8 W-RS Spyder

Travis Hodges — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:53:56 +0000

In my previous post about Porsche’s new Boxster Spyder you may have noticed that this was the car that greeted me as I entered the hallway of the Porsche gallery. I didn’t include it as a part of the other story because I was so enamored with this beautiful machine, I wanted to allow it [...]

VIDEO> Night Drift in Warsaw

Andy Sapp — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:11:12 +0000

Warsaw Night Drift from InterCars on Vimeo. This short, yet incredibly sweet video hails from Poland, where it looks like they had a competitive drift event on (closed) public streets! Not only does it look like they are blasting through downtown Warsaw, it even looks like they are pummeling their drift cars across cobblestone roadways! [...]

WEBMINING> Jay Leno Drives LA Circuit w/ SLS AMG

Antonio Alvendia — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:43:34 +0000

Okay, so you’ve already seen the photos of the red Mercedes SLS AMG that I shot at the LA Auto Show. You’ve even seen the video of our favorite late night television personality (well, aside from those hot chicks on the TV commercials that are always asking us to call them) Jay Leno comparing the [...]

WEBMINING> The Best JZA70 Supra Ever.

Antonio Alvendia — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:33:03 +0000

Here’s something real quick. I was just browsing through one of my new favorite blogs, Kyusha Kai (in Japanese, it means something like modified old school car), when I came across this supeerrrrrrrrrr super dope Supra. This has GOT to be the best JZA70 Supra I’ve ever laid eyes on. Ever. EVERRRRRRRR. Just look at that [...]

VIDEO> VegasDrift 2009 by Rob Strohmeyer

Jose Gonzalez — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:12:29 +0000

Vegasdrift: A Lifestyle VD15 from Robert Strohmeyer on Vimeo. This just in, from our Las Vegas family! Check out the newest video from Rob Strohmeyer, which features a whole lot of cars drifting backwards, and a whole lot of Filipino guys talking into the camera when they’re not supposed to, haha. Enjoy! :: Jose Gonzalez

WEBMINING> Savanna GT/Mazda RX3 Memories

Edward Uche — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:01:23 +0000

I’m mad, seriously. Christmas weekend it is, but man….I can’t hold back this level of hurt. Friends of mine can vouch for the level of anger I experience when seeing a Mazda RX3. When I let mine go up for sale, I thought it might feel good to let something move on… WRONG. I now [...]

VIDEO> Triumph at the Mooneyes Christmas Party

Travis Hodges — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:29:39 +0000

Mooneyes+Christmas+Party+2009 Even though we don’t cover motorcycles too often on the Motor Mavens site, sometimes we come across bikes that are just so cool looking, we gotta put em on the site! We were walking around at the 2009 Mooneyes Christmas Party at Irwindale Speedway, drenched in rain when we spotted this particular Triumph motorcycle getting [...]

CARSPOTTING> Gingerbread Hot Rod for Christmas

Motor Mavens — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 03:21:41 +0000

Hey everyone! We got these photos from our good friend Chris “Hechtspeed” Hecht from the My Ride Is Me website. We think it’s a hell of a lot cooler than building a gingerbread man or gingerbread house! Maybe we should do some sort of gingerbread car building competition next year??? MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE! Thank you [...]

NEWSWORTHY> WSTO’s BMW Project1 V1.2

Andy Sapp — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:39:27 +0000

Last June WSTO revealed their very own Project 1 (v1.2). WSTO specializes in performance wheels and modifications with a heavy emphasis on high-quality products for BMW. That being said, the turbocharged BMW 135i would prove to be an excellent platform to showcase the muscle behind their brand. Their attention first went to the rear [...]

WEBMINING> Trial Tuning Spirit 20B FD3S RX7

Scottie Scheetz — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:48:07 +0000

I flew out to L.A. this week to spend Christmas with my family. Which gave me the opportunity to meet up with Antonio Alvendia and Edward Uche for the first time. Of course cars were a topic covered quite a bit as the night went on and RX7 project cars were brought to light. Which then brought on the discussion of dream builds and this video I am posting now. I honestly can not give you a solid figure of how many times I have watched this video ever since it was posted on Youtube. I would guess Edward couldn't give you a guesstimate either. What I can tell you is the car was built by Trial Tuning Spirit. The FD3S has a 3 rotor swap running ITB's and and a slew of custom parts all done to make it a beast of a track car. I must say though. On my wedding day, I want a car much like this awaiting for the ceremony to end to take us away. Hopefully, rotors will be tied beind the car on rope to drag down the street behind us.

COVERAGE> Garage Zero in Atlanta

Andy Sapp — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:50:54 +0000

The guys at Georgia-based Garage Zero had an open-house to their newly-acquired facility located just outside Atlanta’s perimeter. Aren’t familiar with Garage Zero? Well, it is time you get acclimated. These guys are all about old school Japanese car lifestyle and culture. To put it in simpler terms, these guys make [...]

WEBMINING> The Golden Years of DTM

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:31:44 +0000

I was just surfing around on Facebook right now and found this Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) video, posted by a guy named Samuel Oune. I had the privilege to attend a DTM race at Nurburgring last summer… but as exciting and fun as it was, it was nothing like this! Just look at the Mercedes [...]

CENTER STAGE> A Touch of Class in the Party

Lucas Perez — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:00:14 +0000

Washington mornings are crisp in the fall. Past the hustle and bustle of Seattle’s technology saturated east side lie country roads that meander through the landscape. The dew turns to light frost and everything seems to quiet down. So when Mark Couts and his 1997 BMW E36 328i hit the street, you hear it long [...]

VIDEO> Bisimoto 700whp Turbo Civic Wagovan

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:11:23 +0000

Bisimoto+700whp+D16Z+1990+Honda+Civic+Turbo+Wagova It seems a LOT of people were pretty hyped after seeing Bisi Ezerioha’s turbocharged Honda Civic EF Wagovan in our previous post about the Norm Reeves Honda Meet. I was hyped when I first saw it too! It’s pretty crazy to have a front wheel drive car with that much horsepower… especially a car that [...]

NAME DROPPING> Scenes From Our Xmas Party

Antonio Alvendia — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:29:50 +0000

As many of you know, those of us in the Los Angeles area had a Christmas get together this past Saturday night at The Corner Bar in Burbank CA. On behalf of our entire group of friends who threw the party (Schikane Clothing, Driftwell Footwork Essentials, Tokyo Drive Productions and The Motor Mavens Crew), we’d [...]

NEWSWORTHY> Attend Our Christmas Party Tonight!

Motor Mavens — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:32:57 +0000

***** THIS JUST IN!!! Apparently, some aftermarket car parts companies have decided to participate in the Schikane Clothing x Tokyo Drive Productions x Driftwell x Motor Mavens Christmas Party tonight! COME TO THE PARTY and win a radiator from Mishimoto, some goods from Buddy Club USA, and a bunch of oil from Eneos! —–>Our friends at JACK [...]

CARSPOTTING> 1978 Saab 99 Turbo at Carlisle

Dan Hsu — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:49:53 +0000

I spotted this 1978 Saab 99 Turbo owned by John Webber at the 2009 Carlisle Import/Kit-Replicar Nationals back in May. It sits lowered on a set of 16″ Saab 9000 wheels and sports a custom front air dam for a pretty aggressive yet clean look. The bright orange 99T definitely stood out amongst all the [...]

CARSPOTTING> German Folks Wagens at Mooneyes

Antonio Alvendia — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:34:41 +0000

When I think of Mooneyes and their Annual Christmas Party at Irwindale, I normally think of hot rods – rat rods, traditionals, kustoms, roadsters… things of that sort. However, as I was trudging along the Irwindale Speedway parking lot with soaking wet jeans (and even worse… wet socks. Grossss!) from the torrential downpour that Mother [...]

VIDEO> BowlsLA Shoots NormReeves Honda Meet!

Andy Sapp — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:36:33 +0000

Norm Reeves Honda Car Show & Toy Drive 2009 from BOWLS on Vimeo. To go along with our coverage from the event, I thought I’d post this great video from BOWLS LA. The Bowls crew really did a fantastic job of capturing the vibe of the Norm Reeves Honda Show/Toy Drive. This edit has great [...]

GALLERY> SoCal Hondas Swarm Norm Reeves

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:44:51 +0000

Two weekends ago, my friend Scott Toshima invited me to come out to a meet he was throwing at Norm Reeves Honda, off the 605 freeway in Cerritos CA. I’ve never owned a Honda in my life, so I never had a reason to go there previously, but I was definitely down to support whatever [...]

COVERAGE> Rainy Day Rodding at Mooneyes

Antonio Alvendia — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:21:21 +0000

With December in full swing and Christmas-time near, tis the season for parties and holiday cheer. With hot rods on the freeway, plus an onslaught of rain, I had to yell at times, “stupid ass, stay in your lane!!!” This past weekend, I attended the Annual Mooneyes Christmas Party at Irwindale Speedway. I can’t believe it’s [...]

WEBMINING> Jay Leno Drives the SLS AMG

Antonio Alvendia — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:47:12 +0000

I’m not sure if all of our readers watch the new (reformatted/renamed) Jay Leno Show, or Jay Leno’s Garage… but personally, I’m a big fan of Jay Leno, but unfortunately I’ve never had the chance to run into him, even though the studio where they tape his show is less than five minutes away from [...]

WEBMINING> A Shakotan Odyssey

Avon Bellamy — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:01:15 +0000

Here’s a video I got from my boy Travis that had me and some of my boys on the East Coast straight trippin. We just don’t see stuff like this over here too often – especially not when we have potholes as big as moon craters that suck up whole caravans of cars without so [...]

CARSPOTTING> Spyker’s C8 Aileron Spyder

Avon Bellamy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:09:32 +0000

And now…BACK TO THE EXOTICS! And, if you needed any proof that the Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder is a bonafide, state-certified exotic – look no farther than the face of Daniel Craig on the screen in the background of the picture above. Would 007 be allowed to appear anywhere near (like within 500 yards of) [...]

VIDEO> AE86 Life with Taka Aono

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:36:56 +0000

Taka Aono 2009 Formula D video from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo. When Ross Fairfield told me that his new video featuring Taka Aono and his AE86 was almost complete, I immediately told him to send me the link as soon as it was finished… I couldn’t wait to put this video up on the site, even [...]

NEWSWORTHY> GReddy Garage Sale on SAT!

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:05:20 +0000

If you’re trying to figure out what to do this upcoming weekend, here’s an idea for you… Forget wasting time and money at the mall for your Christmas shopping… instead, get some FAT discounts on parts at the GReddy Garage Sale in Irvine CA, happening this Saturday Dec 12, 2009 from 9am-4pm. Stock up on exhaust [...]

WEBMINING> Mercedes SLS AMG DTM Concept

Antonio Alvendia — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:01:23 +0000

SLS AMG DTM, OMG! This morning when I was checking my email, I noticed that AdamB18C, one of our readers, sent an email in telling us about the new race car concept rendering of the Mercedes SLS AMG DTM that was just rendered by Mattro Design. It’s no secret that several of us in the Motor [...]

WEBMINING> SA22C RX7 vs DR30 Skyline

Edward Uche — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:36:26 +0000

When a buddy of mine (thanks Royce!) first showed me this video, I was floored. It’s so cool that we get to see the Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya “brapping” around in a circuit spec 1972 Mazda RX3 (Savanna GT) at the start of this vid. I felt so excited that a driver such as Tsuchiya, [...]

COVERAGE> San Francisco Auto Show 2009

Calvin Wan — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:41:14 +0000

I got a call from the Extreme Autofest folks asking me if I want to show one of my cars again at the annual San Francisco International Auto Show at the Moscone Center this year. The only problem was that my FD3S RX7 was still unavailable because we were still working on getting it back [...]

CARSPOTTING> Introducing the Mazda 2

Avon Bellamy — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:02:26 +0000

After being exposed to the curvy sexiness of the Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing, the cutting-edge science and incredible power of the Audi e-Tron, and the crisp, German-engineered precision of the Porsche Boxster Spyder, I’m sure some of you are thinking “The Mazda 2?!” Well, yeah…that’s right. We said it – the Mazda 2. Sure, the 2 [...]

WEBMINING> Gulf Blue Porsche 911 Carrera

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:04:46 +0000

I wish I had an extra $69K laying around. If I did, I’d be inclined to pick up this gorgeous 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera, which is the only “big bumpered” Carrera I’ve ever seen that made me drool with this much intensity. Wait. Do people drool with intensity? Maybe salivate is a better word. I can [...]

CARSPOTTING> Porsche Boxster Spyder

Travis Hodges — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:37:13 +0000

After attending several unveilings at the LA Auto Show, I wanted to grab a prime spot for the world premiere of the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. I hiked across the LA Convention Center to the Porsche hall. The atmosphere, as you can see from the above picture, was going to be very different from the [...]

COVERAGE> Southeast Drift’s Land of the Great

Motor Mavens — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:48:18 +0000

What’s up MotorMavens readers? My name is Jonathan McWhorter and I’m a photographer from Atlanta, Georgia. On Saturday, November 28th, I had the privilege of attending Southeast Drift’s Land of the Great practice and tandem drift competition at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia. It was a lot of fun because not only was [...]

VIDEO> Risky Devil Puts the “Fun” in Funyuns

Dax Rodriguez — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:33:09 +0000

Fresh off the press! Here’s the newest video from Tim Tulov of T2 Films and AJ G. of the infamous Chicago drift gang Risky Devil. The two collaborated on this video to bring you what is probably the funnest Sunday ever! From hanging out with bums, to smashing into stuff, to paying off security guards…this [...]

DRIVER SEAT> 25 Hours in an E36 M3 at Thunderhill

Jose Gonzalez — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:50:10 +0000

I don’t know how we did it, but we somehow managed to talk Robbie Montinola and the Track Concierge Racing crew into running our sticker on their E36 BMW M3 for the 25 Hours of Thunderhill enduro that’s taking place right now! In between laps, pit stops, and a little incident they just had with their [...]

CARSPOTTING> The Audi e-Tron

Travis Hodges — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:53:22 +0000

At this year’s LA Auto Show it seemed the topic du jour was green car technologies. However, when you think of an eco-friendly or zero emissions vehicle, I’m sure the last thing you see in your mind’s eye is the Audi e-Tron (pictured above). It’s hard to believe this sick “super-car” contains a purely [...]

COVERAGE> FixxFest 6 Euro Meet in FL

Scottie Scheetz — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:41:11 +0000

For my first post on MotorMavens, I hope I can entertain you. My name is Scottie Scheetz and I have only recently become a Florida resident. I grew up in Northern Virginia, just a few miles south of D.C. Cars have always been in my life, as I am one who only looks to [...]

NEWSWORTHY> Free Piston Earplugs from 3M!

Antonio Alvendia — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:15:16 +0000

Yo… just FYI you guys..! I just saw this online. You can get a set of FREE earplugs from 3M if you sign up with your name and address. And they’re shaped like pistons! Travis always tells me I should use earplugs when I’m near loud cars (like retro dragsters or something SUPER loud like bridge [...]

CARSPOTTING> 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing

Antonio Alvendia — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:33:45 +0000

It seems that everyone and their mother were talking about the Lexus LFA online and at the LA Auto Show today. However, while walking the floor this morning, I just couldn’t take my eyes off this really hot, curvy new model in the Mercedes Benz booth. I was overcome with the feeling of instant attraction [...]

WEBMINING> Mavens Lexus LFA Video on Autoblog

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:18:57 +0000

I was just at the LA Auto Show earlier today, when an older gentleman walked up to me and said, “Hey… are you the guy from that Lexus LFA video online?” Totally puzzled, I replied, “Uhh… yeah..?” Then I began receiving some text messages from people saying, “Hey man… your MotorMavens LFA video is on [...]

VIDEO> AW Films Does Pro Am

Andy Sapp — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:45:08 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I just can’t seem to get enough Pro Am action. AW Films just released their take on the day’s events. Abbitt says he struggled with this edit, but after watching it several times, I never would have guessed! There is a ton of great footage and [...]

WEBMINING> KP47 Works Starlet at Tsukuba

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:02:48 +0000

I got this awesome KP47 Toyota Starlet video link from Chihiro Yoshimura from AE/KP drift team Peak, from Kanagawa Japan. I absolutely LOVE the vintage racing footage of the old KPs… in the video, where they actually feature the car though, I was a bit puzzled because the car’s sitting on Gotti wheels, which are [...]

COVERAGE> More Scenes From Irwindale Pro Am

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:35:07 +0000

Continuing our coverage of the Formula D Pro Am Finals…I thought I’d do a little name dropping, since that’s apparently what I specialize in over here. Haha… click through to the story and see if you can recognize some of the faces and the cars they belong to… Strapped into this Sparco Pro 2000 bucket seat [...]

VIDEO> Heavy Metal Pro Am

Antonio Alvendia — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:29:05 +0000

PRO AM Finals from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo. Well… I’m not quite sure about the heavy metal headband wearing headbanger “rock onnnnn” long hair tight pants faded black Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt wallet chain black fingernails music, as it’s not my personal style (sorry if I offend those schooled in metal)… but here’s what our boy Ross [...]

VIDEO> Motor Mavens SNEAK peek at Lexus LFA

Antonio Alvendia — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:10:15 +0000

Okay, well… I hope I’m not going to get into too much trouble for this, but I just couldn’t help myself. Ever since I first saw the spy photos of it online, and ever since I first laid my own eyes on it at SEMA, I’ve been absolutely crazy about the Lexus LFA. Come on… what’s [...]

COVERAGE> Old Skool & Rotary Turkey Day Run

Edward Uche — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:17:05 +0000

What’s going on! My name is Edward Uche. I live in Los Angeles, and I am the newest addition to the Motor Mavens Crew. I’ve followed this automotive blog since it began back in April and words cannot describe how excited I am to join as a contributor. As the owner of a turbocharged FC3S [...]

CARSPOTTING> Custom Mercedes Benz “Sleeper”

Antonio Alvendia — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:14:32 +0000

I was rolling through the San Fernando Valley today with the newest member of the Motor Mavens Crew, Edward Uche, when I spotted this parked on the street. WTF?! Do you think this car might have been a reject from a lost episode of Pimp my Ride? Because like… remember when they were asked to restore [...]

VIDEO> Strohmeyer Shoots Pro Am

Andy Sapp — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:29:36 +0000

Formula+D+ProAm+%40+Irwindale Happy Thanksgiving everyone! While we’re all celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with our families, we recognize that we’re all very thankful for a lot of great things that have happened in the past year – we’re very thankful to see that our new website has been growing in popularity, and we’re stoked to be getting [...]

WEBMINING> Rogansan’s Rootbeer RPS13

Antonio Alvendia — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:38:48 +0000

Real quick before you get your Thanksgiving Holiday started… I just wanted to post up these pics of Logan “Rogansan” Yoshida’s car – this metallic brown RPS13 240SX/180SX. I think that metallic brown is such an awesome color… maybe it’s because my very first car was also metallic brown with white wheels, but I think [...]

COVERAGE> Irwindale Pro Am, Part 1

Antonio Alvendia — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:00:08 +0000

It’s true. I’m overdue again on posting my event coverage. This time, the coverage is from the Formula D Pro Am that took place at Irwindale Speedway this past weekend. However, I don’t think it’s a bad thing necessarily. While all the other media people that attended the event (let’s be honest; there weren’t that many) [...]